


Feeding

by ancalime8301



Series: Legacy [24]
Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Post Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-06-17
Updated: 2004-06-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 07:09:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6844312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancalime8301/pseuds/ancalime8301
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place immediately after "Nearing Time." Kinda answers the 'how's Frodo gonna feed the baby?' question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feeding

The room was silent but for the crackling of a small fire -it being only early March, the room would have been a bit cool without it. The newborn babe was quiet, content in the arms of her parent, who was still staring at her with wonder despite his exhaustion from the birth. Sam, still seated on the bed next to Frodo, watched the baby with awe, doubtless thinking about his and Rosie's future bairns. Elrond stood next to the bed, pleased that the procedure had gone so well, and kept an eye on both Frodo and his daughter, ready to intercede if Frodo grew too tired to hold her any longer. Aragorn and Arwen remained a few paces away from the bed, but also observed the scene with joy, both looking forward to when they would begin having children of their own.

Little Primula endured all of the watchers with good grace, though after a time, her brow creased in vexation as she made faces at him who held her. Understanding what the babe wanted, Elrond broke the silence. "Frodo, your babe is hungry."

He looked up at Elrond, startled. "Oh, is that what the faces are for?"

"Indeed. Though she will doubtless begin to cry as well if her needs are not soon met."

Frodo looked back down at Primula, seeing that she was indeed preparing to break forth in a wail. "What must I do?" he asked hurriedly.

"Would you like to try feeding her yourself? If you are too weary, we can feed her by bottle."

"I... I'd like to try," he answered. "If that's all right."

"Of course. Would you like the others to leave?"

Frodo looked over at Sam as if he hadn't realized he was there before. "If it's all right, I'd prefer not to be watched," he said rather self-consciously, his embarrassment at being in such a position in front of the others (and Arwen!) again coming forward full-force.

"O' course it's all right," Sam assured him, sliding off the bed. Aragorn and Arwen waited for him to catch up before the trio left the room.

Elrond eased onto the bed, expertly unlacing Frodo's nightshirt until it was loosened halfway to the hobbit's waist. Frodo tried not to blush as Elrond slid the open nightshirt over his shoulder -the elf lord had seen it all before, in the many examinations and baths before this point- exposing one of his rather swollen breasts. It still felt strange to call it that, for he'd been taught that lasses have breasts and lads just have a chest, but really, he was beyond such distinctions by now.

He nearly leaped out of his skin when Elrond started palpating the sore area. After a moment the elf sat back. "You should be able to feed her at least part of the time. It may be that your body will adjust production to Primula's appetite so that you can support her just through breast-feeding, but it is also possible that you will need to bottle-feed her in those times that you do not have enough to satisfy her."

Frodo nodded. "How... how do I do this?" he asked hesitantly. Primula had stayed remarkably calm, but her expression indicated this was the calm before the storm.

Elrond helped him shift her into the crook of his arm, her head right by the exposed breast. "Once you get her close enough, she should be able to take it from there," he advised.

Frodo slowly put her head closer to the nipple, unaccountably nervous about the whole thing now that it was about to happen. Prim's mouth opened as if about to wail, but instead she closed her mouth around the proffered skin. Frodo's eyes went wide -she could bite hard!- but he relaxed when she didn't take out her frustration on him any further. Instead, intrigued by the bit of liquid she found on the nipple which had been forced out by Elrond's prodding at the area, she began to suckle.

It took her a few minutes to settle into any sort of rhythm, being just as new to this part as Frodo, but she caught on and seemed quite pleased with life in general. Frodo was unsettled by the very strange sensation of having a babe suck on you, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant, so he just let her do as she would. Elrond did not interfere at this point, knowing it was best to allow the child to adjust on its own.

At length Frodo grew drowsy, and his weariness seemed to extend to little Primula, as well. She broke off and yawned heartily, now ignoring the breast before her.

"Frodo, you can sleep in a few moments. But first, you need to burp your babe."

"I think I know what you're talking about," Frodo confirmed, slowly adjusting his grip on the loose-limbed child before bringing her up to his shoulder and patting her on the back. "It gets the air out, or something..."

"Precisely. If you fail to do so, she will be most uncomfortable, and you will certainly hear about it," Elrond elaborated, not without some humor in his voice.

After Primula let forth a most unladylike burp, Frodo chuckled and carefully brought her down to rest in his arms again. Elrond helped him return his nightshirt to its proper position, then gently took Primula from him and laid her in the cradle next to the bed. The hobbit-child looked quite tiny in the bed made many, many years ago for elf-children, but she seemed comfortable and did not protest when he laid a small quilt over her. He would worry about swaddling her once he had gotten her parent settled for the night.

Frodo was nearly asleep when Elrond returned to the bed and withdrew a few of the pillows propping him up so he could lie more at ease. The hobbit smiled a bit as he realized he could still breathe in that position -just earlier that day he could not, not when the babe was still inside and lying on everything funny- and let himself drift into slumber.


End file.
